Moerat opens up about injuries and his future
SPOTLIGHT: Stormers lock Salmaan Moerat is hungrier than ever to succeed after a couple of big setbacks in the past year.
The 24-year-old Springbok training squad member has been slowly regaining his form after his return from a knee injury he suffered in late January.
He was involved in the Stormers’ last three matches in United Rugby Championship (two off the bench and one starting) and he has made an impact in each of those outings.
It was just another example of his ability to overcome adversity.
Last year in April he suffered a serious neck injury, which kept him out of action for five months.
That injury was a blow to his Bok ambitions. However, he would eventually become a squad member during South Africa’s end-of-year tour.
Moerat believes those injuries have helped him grow as a player
“I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and sometimes you don’t have those answers immediately,” said Moerat.
“But somewhere along the line you get to them and I think injuries give you a certain perspective on the game.
“You are a lot more grateful when you are on the field.
“It teaches you lessons to look after your body – to take ownership of that.
“At the same time, it has made me a lot hungrier.
“I think, on a personal note, it is not so much about proving a point, but to re-establish myself again and to set myself a goal of staying on the field and contributing.”
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Moerat said winning the South African Shield was a “special moment” for the Stormers squad.
“It’s the first bit of silverware that I have won and it’s the same for many others [in the squad],” he said.
“It was a reward for us as a group. We have been through quite a bit.
“We have been through a rebuilding phase and we implemented certain things and we started to get those rewards.
“It was nice to win that and I can assure you the guys celebrated accordingly.
“It is a new week now, so I’m sure all those celebrations are behind us and we are going for the big one.”
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